TMD: What is Love?

Let's define "love." No, not the warm fuzzy feeling you get inside when you hold hands with a significant other.

During Bible study, something really bothered me about the response I got from the group about "love." When people have personalities that clash, or when people hurt you, should you keep your distance? Also, can you love someone but not like them?

Let's look at Jesus. After all, he is the ultimate example of love. And he showed that by dying on the cross. Not just for his disciples, not just for his followers, not just for Israel, but the entire population of the world, past present and future. And he did it willingly. He wanted to do his Father's will, which was to make a path towards salvation. It's not like he died unwillingly. He also died with compassion, for he prays that those who do not know what they're doing will be forgiven. He was very committed to this event. He had to be, since it required his life.

From that example alone, you can tell that love is not just a feeling. It's a commitment to someone with compassion and forgiveness. And I doubt that defines the entirety of love. I bet that sentences encompasses about 20% of the full extent of love. Now, when people say that they should distance themselves from people because they were hurt or their personalities clashed, isn't that already negating the commitment and compassion part? Even the forgiveness part of that aspect. I'm sure Jesus, being God, knew that millions of people would reject his sacrifice, not even acknowledge his existence. Nonetheless, he still died for them with love. He could have easily excluded them from the gift of grace, but he didn't.

And here's the thing about love. If you love something even if you don't like it now, you are bound to. When you're committed to something with compassion and forgiveness, you are absolutely bound to like it. How can you hate something you are so committed to?